By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
After months of discussions, Gallup-McKinley County Schools and the McKinley County Federation of United School Employees appear to have finally reached a contract agreement.
To break the deadlock, the two entities hired arbitrator Edward B. Valverde, Esq., at the beginning of the year to resolve their issues outside of court. Valverde met with both parties on Feb. 9 to hear their arguments. During the initial negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement, the union proposed approximately 40 changes; however, GMCS preferred the status quo and sought only minor updates. Eventually, the union withdrew all but 11 items, leaving the parties at a total impasse.
In his March 26 decision, Valverde sided with MCFUSE. He focused on three key areas to improve union representation, noting that none of these items created a financial burden or required major managerial adjustments for GMCS.
The first issue Valverdez focused on was related to salaries.
MCFUSE wanted significant raises beyond the 4% raise the N.M. legislation provided, arguing that the district had an enormous «cash balance» and that teacher pay needed to be more competitive to address a severe vacancy crisis. The district argued its budget was constrained by state funding formulas and that its reserves were earmarked for capital projects (such as housing for teachers).
Valverdez found that the district’s massive cash reserves (nearly $100 million) and the high turnover rate justified the union’s proposal for higher salary increases.
Secondly, MCFUSE proposed language to limit mandatory meetings and guarantee dedicated prep time. While the district sought more scheduling flexibility, Valverde noted that burnout acted as a primary driver of the local teacher shortage. Consequently, he ruled that the union’s proposal provided necessary protections for educator work-life balance.
Finally, Valverde commented on the required workdays and professional development handling. He favored MCFUSE’s calendar and development proposals, emphasizing that the district’s current practices contributed to low morale.
In an interview with the Sun, MCFUSE’s president Graham McNeill said he believed the March 26 decision was final. He expected only limited conversation regarding specifics now that the parties had an agreement.
However, the school board put the item up for discussion during their April 2 school board meeting.
After some lengthy discussion, school board Vice President Priscilla Benally suggested that the board direct Interim Superintendent Jvanna Hanks II sit down and meet with the union to resolve all the issues in implementing the arbitrator’s decision in order to comply with the applicable law. However, if the parties are still unable to reach an agreement that resolves the outstanding issues, Benally suggested giving Hanks the authority to seek judicial remedies.
The board ultimately voted to approve Benally’s proposed motion, with Benally, Colaianni-Wagner, and Board President Kevin Mitchell voting to approve it. Board Member Valory Wangler voted no. Board Secretary Georgianna Desiderio wasn’t in attendance.
CURRENT STATUS
When the Sun spoke with Hanks on April 14, she confirmed she had met with MCFUSE representatives on April 9. Although she couldn’t provide specific details, she stated they are working toward a solution as quickly as possible.
“The district is just working its hardest to ensure that every school is providing an equitable and quality education to every student,” she said.
McNeill provided more context on April 21, noting that the April 9 meeting went well. He indicated that the responsibility now rests with the district to implement policy changes.
“It’s up to them to figure out what that looks like operationally and what implementing the arbitration looks like,” he said. “But we’re kind of at the end of the process in terms of that contract bargaining.”
In fact, principals have already informed teachers that they are no longer required to submit the once-mandatory, intensive lesson plans.
During the April 2 school board meeting, Red Rock Elementary sixth grade teacher Kelli Hubbard spoke on the hefty lesson plan requirements GMCS teachers face.
She explained that elementary teachers teach four subjects every day: math, reading, writing, and science. GMCS requires teachers to turn in a minimum of four Powerpoint slides per subject per day, for a total of 16 slides daily, or 80 slides each week. The district also has set requirements for what information needs to be on those slides.
Hubbard said that if a teacher spends a minimum of three minutes on each slide, they spend 240 minutes on the Powerpoints each week.
Elementary school teachers have three 45-minute prep periods and two 30-minute prep periods each week, for a total of 195 minutes worth of prep time. So, Hubbard argued, they’re trying to fit 240 minutes of work into 195 minutes.
Despite this progress on the lesson plan side of things, teacher salaries remain a point of contention. MCFUSE is currently bargaining for either a 5% salary increase for the 2026-2027 school year or a shorter school calendar that would eliminate roughly two weeks of work and development days.
More information on that subject will be published when the two entities come to an agreement.
